Candidates now are targeting all three Amarillo City Commission seats being vacated by incumbents.

Ellen Robertson Green, chief marketing and communications officer for Amarillo College, made her bid for the Place 1 commission seat official at an announcement event Friday at Amarillo City Hall.

The municipal election will be May 14. Candidates can file to run from Feb. 14 through March 14.

Green is seeking to replace Commissioner Madison Scott, who is not seeking re-election.

She took a stance Friday on an election issue, so-called single-member districts. Amarillo Citizens for Property Rights, a grass-roots group, has launched a petition drive seeking to place on the ballot a bid to switch from at-large to single-member district city commissioner seats. That would mean a single candidate would be chosen from the geographic area, or district, in which he or she lives rather than the current system in which geography isn't a factor.

"I understand there are some people who feel disenfranchised," Green said. "I believe we need to find ways to bring new and different people to the table. I would hate to implement a system that intentionally divides us. I believe it can't be about my neighborhood versus your neighborhood."

Green also said downtown revitalization is important to Amarillo's future and she appreciates the volunteer planning and other efforts brought to the process by the nonprofit revitalization group Downtown Amarillo Inc.

But "what I'm seeing is perception has become reality" when it comes to some residents' concerns about transparency in the process, Green said.

Green said she would like to see more openness and public reporting from DAI, while still understanding "they will have to go behind closed doors to conduct business."

Because she works for Amarillo College, Green said she cannot accept pay from taxpayers in two jurisdictions. So, if elected, she will not accept the $10 weekly pay for the commission job.

Green said she consulted City Attorney Marcus Norris and understands she can continue to serve on the Amarillo Traffic Commission, a post to which the current City Commission appointed her, during her campaign. If elected, she would need to resign from the traffic panel.

Green, whose AC job gives her supervision over the college's PBS television affiliate, said she will continue to host her "Face to Face" talk show on KACV as long as the topic is not city government. In those instances, a guest host will do the program, she said.

In other races, car dealer Paul Harpole is running for the mayor's post being vacated by Debra McCartt, and retired banker Lilia Escajeda is seeking the Place 3 commission seat being vacated by Commissioner Ron Boyd. Incumbent commissioners Brian Eades and Jim Simms have said they will run again.

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Yestrday I posted and now it seems it is gone. I hope someone with views opposing downtown revitalization files to run soon. I am deeply disappointed that so far all we have to choose from is a bunch with the same ideas as the old bunch. Their explanations of why we need a revitalized downtown ring hollow.

Why do we not concentrate on our strenght and not our weakness? We are a major stop in the center of I-40. We are a major crossroad in the center of railroading with BNSF. We have an airport surrounded by uncluttered land with a runway capable of handling major freight traffic. We could be a vital link in the distribution of products in our nation. I believe we threw away an opportunity when Wal-Mart decided to build a large distribution center in Plainview, but they are not the only company with the need or such a facility. The Amarillo Economic Development gang should be concentrating a large part of their activity on such.